There’s no doubt that pearls are some of the most cherished and sought-after gems in the world. Their prices can vary wildly—from less than $100 to thousands or even millions of dollars. Naturally, you might wonder, “Why are some pearls more valuable than others?” and “How much are my pearls worth?” To answer these questions, it’s important to understand the factors that influence a pearl’s value and how different types of pearls are priced.
In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know to determine what your pearls are truly worth.
The Golden Rule for Buying Pearls:
Before we dive in, let’s start with a basic yet crucial tip: always buy real pearls. Fake pearls made from glass or plastic are practically worthless. Nowadays, imitation techniques are so advanced that some artificial pearls can look incredibly convincing. So, it’s essential to know how to tell if you’re purchasing the real deal—luckily, there are simple steps to help you do just that!
Natural Pearls vs. Cultured Pearls: Which has higher value?
If you follow luxury fashion and jewelry, you’ve probably seen some jaw-dropping prices set by natural pearls at auctions. For example, in 2014, a strand of 53 natural saltwater pearls sold for $2.9 million. And in 2018, a large natural pearl pendant, once owned by Queen Marie Antoinette, fetched an astonishing $32 million at Sotheby’s.
On the other hand, cultured pearls are significantly more affordable, with prices ranging from $50 to $165,000. But here’s the thing—both cultured and natural pearls are real. They both form inside pearl-bearing oysters, whether in saltwater or freshwater. The primary difference lies in how the pearl forms.
With natural pearls, the irritant inside the oyster (often a grain of sand or parasite) triggers the pearl’s creation without human intervention. In cultured pearls, pearl farmers manually place a piece of tissue or a bead inside the oyster to encourage pearl formation.
You can now see why natural pearls can be more valuable—they’re much rarer. Almost all pearls on the market today are cultured because finding natural pearls is exceedingly uncommon.
However, we use the word “potentially” for a reason. Not all natural pearls are worth more than cultured pearls. The value of a pearl depends on several factors, like its size, shape, color, luster, and the quality of its nacre.
What Affects a Pearl’s Value?
Whether you’re looking to appraise a pearl necklace you own or ensure you’re paying a fair price for a new one, it’s essential to know what determines a pearl’s value. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) identifies seven key factors that affect a pearl’s worth: shape, size, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality, and matching. The pearl’s 7 value factors are created by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to standardise pearl grading systems. They represent the main components of a pearl’s characteristics and beauty in a more balanced and comprehensive manner.
Just like diamonds are graded by the “4 Cs,” pearls are assessed based on these seven qualities.
Keep in mind, each type of pearl has its own benchmarks, so you can’t always use the same criteria to compare different varieties.
A Price Comparison Guide for Different Types of Pearls:
Pearls can be divided into freshwater and saltwater pearls (which are grown in sea water), depending on where they’re grown. Saltwater pearls come in three main types: Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian pearls. Each type grows in a specific species of oyster and comes from different regions of the world.
Generally, saltwater pearls tend to be pricier than freshwater pearls because saltwater oysters produce fewer pearls at a time. For example, Akoya oysters typically yield only one or two pearls, while freshwater oysters can produce up to 50 pearls in a single cycle.
Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect to pay for different types of pearls:
1. Tahitian Pearls: Known for their exotic, dark colors, Tahitian pearls (often called “black pearls”) are grown in French Polynesia, Fiji, and other regions.
• Price Range:
• Low: Under $250
• Average: $250–$650
• Fine Quality: $1,000–$36,000+
2. Akoya Pearls: The classic round white pearls most people picture when they think of pearls. They are primarily cultivated in Japan and China.
• Price Range:
• Low: Under $100
• Average: $150–$300
• Fine Quality: $400–$6,000+
3. Freshwater Pearls: The most commonly found pearls today, and the most affordable.
• Price Range:
• Low: Under $20
• Average: $30–$50
• Fine Quality: $65–$5,000+
4. South Sea Pearls: The most prized cultured pearls, often considered the rarest and largest.
• Price Range:
• Low: Under $200
• Average: $250–$450
• Fine Quality: $1,200–$135,000+
5. Natural Saltwater Pearls: Extremely rare pearls from species found in the Arabian Gulf. Their prices can range from $500 to over $2,000 per pearl depending on quality and rarity.
How Does Pearl Color Affect the Value of Pearls?
When it comes to pearls, their color plays a big role in determining their value. Pearl color is made up of three elements: body color, overtone, and orient.
• Body color refers to the main, dominant hue of the pearl.
• Overtone is the subtle, translucent color that appears over the body color, often covering most or all of the pearl’s surface.
• Orient happens when there’s more than one overtone on the body color, creating a beautiful, iridescent rainbow effect, but only in small areas of the pearl.
While every pearl has a body color, whether it’s cultured or natural, not all pearls have overtones or orient. Pearls with a pink overtone on white are typically more valuable, and dark Tahitian black pearls with rare pink, purple, or blue overtones are especially prized.
What Are the Main Pearl Colors?
• Tahitian pearls: Known for their striking, deep shades, including black, grey, green, and more.
• Freshwater pearls: Often found in soft colors like white, peach, pink, and lavender.
• Akoya pearls: Classic shades of white and silver.
• South Sea pearls: Available in white, silver, champagne, and golden.
High-Value Pearl Colors by Type
• Tahitian: Peacock, aubergine, blue, purple, and brown.
• Akoya: White and silver.
• Freshwater: White and lavender.
• South Sea: Silver and golden.
When shopping for high-quality pearls, check for overtone and orient, as they can significantly increase value. Be cautious of pearls that are artificially dyed to imitate these rare colors—treated pearls are generally worth less than those with natural hues.
What Is the Most Valuable Pearl Shape?
When it comes to pearls, the most prized shape is the perfectly round one, regardless of whether the pearl is cultured or natural. But achieving this perfect roundness is no small feat! For a pearl to be considered truly round, the difference in its diameter when measured from different angles must be no more than 2%. This makes it one of the rarest and most valuable shapes in both cultured and natural pearls.
Interestingly, saltwater pearls, like Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian, tend to be more round compared to freshwater pearls. This is because saltwater pearls are cultivated using a round bead, which encourages the pearl to form a round shape. In contrast, freshwater pearls are grown using a piece of tissue, making perfectly round freshwater pearls far rarer. As you can see, finding a naturally round pearl is much harder than spotting a round cultured one!
When other factors are equal, near-round pearls come next in value, followed by other symmetrical shapes such as oval, button, drop, and baroque pearls.
How Does Pearl Size Affect Value?
Is bigger always better? Well, not always with pearls! While size is an important factor, its value is heavily influenced by the type of pearl. To better understand, let’s look at the typical size ranges for different pearl types:
• Akoya: 2.0mm to 10mm
• Freshwater: 4.0mm to 14mm
• Tahitian: 9.0mm to 14mm
• South Sea: 8.0mm to 20mm
In general, within the same type of pearl, the larger the pearl, the more valuable it becomes. However, it’s a different story when comparing pearls from different varieties. For example, a 10mm Akoya pearl is much rarer than a 10mm South Sea pearl, and if all other quality factors are the same, the Akoya pearl would be worth more.
For round pearls, size is determined by measuring the diameter perpendicular to the drill hole. For other shapes, size is based on length, width, or depth, and it’s usually expressed in millimeters, rounded to the nearest 0.5mm.
How Pearl Luster and Nacre Quality Affect Value
Luster is one of the most important factors in determining a pearl’s value—it refers to the sharpness and brightness of the light reflected from the pearl’s surface. Pearls with a high luster have bright, mirror-like reflections, making them highly desirable.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ranks pearl luster into five categories:
• Excellent: Mirror-like reflections, bright and sharp.
• Very Good: Bright with near-sharp reflections.
• Good: Bright but slightly blurred reflections.
• Fair: Reflections are weak and blurred.
• Poor: Dim, diffused reflections.
A pearl’s luster is directly linked to its nacre quality, which is the thickness and quality of the layers of nacre that make up the pearl. Pearls with thick, high-quality nacre will have excellent luster and are more durable, making them more valuable.
In cultured saltwater pearls, the bead nucleus used in cultivation can sometimes show through if the nacre is too thin, reducing the pearl’s value. On the other hand, freshwater and natural pearls, which consist of nearly all nacre, tend to be more durable and lustrous.
Nacre quality is categorized as:
• Acceptable: No chalky appearance, nucleus not visible.
• Nucleus Visible: The bead nucleus is slightly visible through the nacre, creating a “blinking” effect under strong light.
• Chalky Appearance: Pearls with a dull, chalky look, often due to poor nacre quality.
How Surface Quality Impacts a Pearl’s Worth
Since pearls are organic gems, they naturally have some surface imperfections such as bumps, pits, and wrinkles. Blemish-free pearls are extremely rare, so the fewer and less noticeable the blemishes, the more valuable the pearl is.
Pearls are classified into different categories based on surface quality:
• Clean Surface: Virtually no visible imperfections.
• Lightly Spotted: Few small blemishes.
• Moderately Spotted: More noticeable blemishes.
• Heavily Spotted: Significant surface imperfections.
How Matching Affects the Price of Pearl Jewelry
When evaluating pearl jewelry with more than one pearl—like earrings, necklaces, or bracelets—matching is key. Pearls in a piece should be well-matched in terms of shape, size, color, luster, and surface quality. The more uniform the pearls, the more valuable the piece.
However, some designs intentionally mismatch pearls to create a unique look. In these cases, the overall visual harmony is what determines value, rather than strict uniformity.
The Value of Conch Pearls and Melo Pearls
Conch pearls and Melo pearls are unique in that they’re produced by univalve mollusks rather than bivalves. These pearls lack the pearly luster of traditional pearls but are highly valuable due to their rarity.
• Conch pearls are native to the Caribbean and the Atlantic, with only one pearl found for every 10,000 conchs. The finest conch pearls are typically pink and symmetrical, with “flame-like” light patterns.
• Melo pearls, found in Southeast Asia, are larger and often orange, with a flame-like pattern that increases their value. One of the largest Melo pearls ever discovered weighs over 397 carats!
Smart Investing in Pearl Jewelry
Pearls are a wise investment, especially as they gain popularity among eco-conscious consumers. As sustainable and renewable gems, pearls not only have beauty but also a close connection to nature. Pearl oysters help filter and clean the water around them, making them a symbol of environmental health.
While million-dollar pearls might be out of reach, you can find valuable pieces that suit your style and budget by considering the factors discussed above. Always buy from reputable jewelers who specialize in pearls and seek professional appraisals if you’re looking to understand the value of your pearls.